


Call Me Your Prince

by SpaceDaddyShiroAndKosmo



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Assassin Keith, Female Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Keith cross dresses, Lame balls, Lance is a terrible flirt, M/M, Prince Shiro, but they're cute - Freeform, hunk gets embarrassed easily, some dark elements but nothing graphic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-20
Updated: 2018-09-20
Packaged: 2019-07-14 15:00:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16042835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceDaddyShiroAndKosmo/pseuds/SpaceDaddyShiroAndKosmo
Summary: Prince Shiro just wants life to be more interesting when his father tells him he is going to marry a princess named Katelyn. Keith just wants to get revenge for his father's death when he spots a perfect opportunity.





	Call Me Your Prince

Shiro is sitting in his room, not wearing much other than a plain white shirt and a pair of sweatpants, having planned on spending the entire day in his room. His crown is resting on the dresser. 

"Sometimes I wish things would get a little bit interesting" he mumbles to himself, running the fingers of his right hand-the ones that belonged to his prosthetic arm-through his hair. 

He is staring at the top of his bed, some transparent curtains draped down around the rest of it. 

There is mumbling outside the door-the voice definitely belonging to his best friend and personal Knight, Matt Holt-and the a knocking sounds at the door, giving it three loud taps. 

"Come in" Shiro gets up with a sigh. The door opens, and then he is looking at his butler, Lance. "What is it?"

"I'm sorry to bother you" Lance says with a serious tone, and that alone grabs Shiros attention because Lance is anything but serious. "His majesty, King Ruthford, your father, has sent me to go fetch you. It sounds like he has something important to discuss, but I am afraid I do not know the details of it, your highness."

"Alright, thank you, Lance" Shiro gets out of the bed, stepping out from the curtains. 

Upon seeing what Shiro is wearing, Lance says with a smug smile, "shall I help you get dressed? Surely you don't plan on seeing his majesty in _that_."

Shiro rolls his eyes. "Knowing you, I will be dressed in nothing but blue attire. I'm fine to get dressed on my own so you may leave. Matt will escort me to go see my father."

\------

Now looking much more presentable, Shiro hesitates just outside the door. 

Matt, dressed in his usual sturdy armor, his chestnut brown hair a mess atop his head, just gives him a hearty smile. "Good luck in there."

 

Shiro steps into the throne room and sees his father sitting in his throne. With a nervous gulp, Shiro walks forward and kneels in front of the king. "Your majesty, why have I been called here?"

King Ruthford lets out a chuckle before gesturing Shiro to stand, so he does. With a smile, he says, "my dear child, I have arranged a marriage for you."

Shiro tries to keep a straight face, but so many emotions are running through his head so eventually he settles on, "yeah?"

Not the smartest response, but he figures he can get away with it because he's the prince. 

King Ruthford ignores his dumb response in favor of explaining, "she's a princess. Princess Alluras older sister, actually. King Alfor has been looking to marry her into an alliance, so what better way than having the eldest princess of Altea marry the only prince of Balmera? Her name is Katelyn. I bet she's very gorgeous. She's supposed to be arriving in two days time."

Shiro nods. This is a lot to take in. He's always known that it's only a matter of time before he has to marry someone of his father's choosing, but he's never imagined it to be this soon when he's only _twenty_.

"I'm sure she is" he says, giving his father a sheepish smile, "I can't wait."

The king nods in agreement. "Me neither. She arrives soon here, but the marriage isn't set for about another six months. We want to see how compatible you two are together first and give you a chance to get to know one another. I'm just certain you'll fall in love with her charm."

Shiro gives a real smile this time, knowing it's nothing happening right away, "alright, thanks."

King Ruthford gives him another nod. "Alright, you're dismissed, my child."

And Shiro walks out of the room feeling better than a few minutes ago, but his heart still feeling heavy with a lot of different conflicting emotions.

\------

Kroila is just sitting in her chair, tapping her knee in thought. Her long hair is flowing down her back in gentle waves, the bottom half a natural shade of red, whereas the top half of her hair is a beautiful purple. The galra race is known for having weirdly colored hair, but it's not dyed. It's how they were born.

One of her men-a spy in King Ruthfords palace-knocks on her door. He opens it a minute later, and she knows exactly who it is. "Sorry for my intrusion, my lady, but I have come bearing some news."

"What is it, Mr. Griffin?" Kroila asks. "Where do the guards think you are right now?"

James Griffin is her best spy, and he's gotten fairly knowledgeable with his role as a butler. He has brown hair and chestnut colored eyes, and a face that no one would expect would betray a kingdom. He gets around easily, and is a great listener, which is why he makes such a great spy. He has been in the palace for a year now, and no one has suspected a thing. 

"The guards think I am out buying some cleaning supplies for the castle" James tells her, "the prince was called into the throne room a few hours ago. I thought it was important so I managed to crawl through a vent and listen in on the conversation. The prince has been arranged to marry a princess in six months time. She arrives in two days. I hurried here as fast as I could."

Kroila hums in thought. "I see" she says at last. 

A smirk crosses his features as he gives a suggestion, "if I may, my lady? I think now would be the time to strike. Intercept the princess and send one of our own to assassinate the prince."

It takes several minutes before Kroila gives in, nodding. "You're right" she says, "we send one of our own to get close to the prince. Then once they're close, she assassinates him. But who would be a good fit for the role? We are numbered on women in the clan, and they're all galra. They aren't suitable."

James nods. "Yes. And none of the men would pass either. A suggestion? Send your son to disguise himself as the princess. He's only half galra and can easily pass as full human, plus he's slim enough to give off the impression of a delicate princess."

Kroila shoots up from her seat, "I can't send my son! It's too dangerous-"

"Yes, but who else has the most training *and* desire to kill the prince aside from you?"

Kroila sits down, her brows creasing as she lets out a long sigh. "Okay, you're right. Go fetch him, please."

 

It takes James less than five minutes to bring Keith over to Kroila. 

"You called for me, mom?" he asks. 

Kroila nods. "Yes. I'm sorry, you're not going to like what I have to say next, baby."

Keith gives her a slight smile. "It's okay, mom. Whatever you have to say can't be that bad."

She takes in a deep breath. "Well, it appears the prince is now engaged and his fiancé will be here in two days. I need you to intercept her so you can disguise yourself as her."

"I won't kill her" Keith says. 

"Of course not, dear" Kroila smiles, "this is between us and the prince. I won't hurt an innocent soul. After all, it's not her fault she's engaged to the one that got your father killed. I just need you to bring her back here so she's out of the way."

"Consider it done" Keith says, "I will get the job done. The prince must pay for getting my father killed."

"Good boy" Kroila says, "but I don't want you to get hurt, so please be careful, baby."

"I won't get hurt" Keith tells her. 

"Don't get caught either, and if you do, abandon the mission immediately and come back, alright? Come back even if they so much as suspect you might not be who you say you are" she tells him seriously and he nods, "do you still have the knife I gave you?"

"I always have it with me" he tells her. 

"Good, keep it with you" she says before turning her attention to James, "Mr. Griffin, you protect my son at any cost."

James bows his head, "yes, my lady."

\------

The palace library is very big, and has more books than Shiro has ever seen in his entire life. But he supposed that shouldn't really be surprising considering it belongs to a palace of all places. 

There was a lower floor-the floor you first walk on when you enter the door-and then a pair of stairs that leads up to the second floor. Bookshelves take up every inch of the wall, and books cover every empty space of the shelves, except for the few that were taken out to read. 

On the floor, Shiro noticed the librarian was standing on a ladder, trying to put some books back. He ignored her and with his personal knight, Matt, in tow he began walking towards a table that was occupied by Matt's sister, Katie-but she goes by Pidge. 

Pidge was wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a green hoodie pulled over whatever shirt she must have had on. Her long hair-the same chestnut brown as her brothers-was pulled back into a ponytail. A pair of glasses framed her face, bringing more attention to her honey-brown eyes. In truth, the glasses were just for show. They didn't even have the lens in them. Matt gave them to her when he was promoted to being Shiros personal knight two years back. She's worn them since.

She's only fifteen, but she's really smart. In fact, most would even call her a genius. She even tutors Shiro sometimes since he can't go to school like the rest of his kingdom, and there's no one else he would trust to teach him than Pidge. 

Matt and Shiro pull up a seat at her table, and she doesn't even acknowledge them. 

A few minutes go by and Matt scoffs, holding his hands over his chest dramatically, pretending to be hurt, "ah, i'm so hurt! You don't even say hi to your dear older brother!"

Now that gets her attention, and she stares up at Matt and Shiro in surprise. "Oh, i'm sorry! I didn't know you guys were there, I was busy doing.... Uh..." She closes her laptop, "I was just finishing up a chemistry project. What brings you two here? More tutoring?"

Shiro shook his head. "No, actually. My father called me into the throne room today."

She frowns at that, "King Ruthford did? What did he have to say?"

Matt folds his arms in front of him, leaning forward on the table, "yeah, I'm curious, too. I couldn't hear anything."

Shiro nods, face falling a little. "My father arranged a marriage for me. I'm supposed to be marrying a girl named Katelyn. She's Alluras older sister, though we've never met her."

"Alluras sister? She must be good if she's Alluras sister. Are you happy?" Pidge asks. 

Shiro shakes his head. "I knew it was wishful thinking, but I was always hoping I could have made my own decision to marry who I want to marry."

"Who do you want to marry?" Matt asks. 

Shiros face turns red. "Well, she hasn't come yet! But that's besides the point now. I'll just have to try and fall for Katelyn. I have six months before I have to marry her."

"Good luck" they say in unison. 

And then Hunk, the palace chef, walked over a little nervously. "I couldn't help but to overhear. You're marrying a princess, right? Well, just get to know her and I'm sure the feelings will evolve on it's own. And if not, maybe tell your father? If you mutually don't like each other or aren't compatible, then that must be why they gave you six months, right?"

Hunk was the best known chef in Balmera, so upon hearing the rumors about him, King Ruthford just had to hire him on as the head chef. He has not disappointed once. 

After a few minutes of the three just staring at Hunk in silence, he puts his hands up in surrender, "ah, I'm sorry! I overstepped my boundaries, your highness."

And then Lance made an appearance out of no where. Giving Hunk a hug from behind, Lance practically purrs in his ears, "Oh Hunk, _baby_ , you can overstep my boundaries any day."

Hunks face suddenly turns fifty shades redder.

Not being able to take it any longer, Shiro laughs, and then everyone else follows in laughter. 

Once the laughter subsided, Shiro gave Hunk an honest smile, "it's not a problem, Hunk. I appreciate you trying to give me advice."

Lance starts leading Hunk towards the door, "let's go eat, big boy, I'm starving." Sending Shiro a look over his shoulder, he adds, "good luck with meeting your princess, your highness."

\------

Today is the day that Katelyn is supposed to arrive. James had been able to find out the exact time of her arrival, so here Keith is, waiting behind a dumpster in the corner of an alley until her boat arrives. James is right behind him, ready to take Katelyn off of Keith's hands once he kidnaps her. 

The time ticks on as they wait in silence. 

"Where is she?" Keith grumbles. 

James doesn't respond. A few more minutes pass, and then he points to an oncoming boat, "there. I think that's her boat."

Keith reaches for the dagger strapped to his upper thigh, and watches as the boat comes to an halt at the deck. An anchor gets thrown over the edge, and then the sailor opens the door of the boat before stepping onto the dock. 

Keith, in all truth, already came dressed up to meet the prince. He was wearing a bright frilly blue dress. It was long and reached the end of his ankles. His hair was tied back into a small ponytail, and some light blush makeup covered his cheeks. His eyes were given winged tips, and some mascara. His mother had said he looked more gorgeous than any princess she's ever seen, and that there was no way he'd get caught. 

He didn't have a tiara yet, but he planned to steal Katelyn's. 

He turned his attention back to the boat as Katelyn stepped off. He left his dagger at his thigh, looked over his shoulder to give James a mischievous smile, and then walked over to where Katelyn was standing, obviously waiting. 

"Hey, uh, excuse me, miss?" Keith started, giving Katelyn the most innocent look he could muster, "are you princess Katelyn of Altea?"

"You've heard of me?" Katelyn asks, and Keith gives her a frantic nod. 

"Uh huh! Could I get an autograph? I've always thought you were the prettiest amongst your family! I just love your fashion sense!" Keith tells her. 

She lets out a laugh, "You are quite pretty yourself. I can't give an autograph right now, I'm actually waiting on my ride. We arrived early."

A machevious look crosses Keith's face, "oh, is that so? Isn't that good to hear."

Seeing as no one is looking, he grabs her hand and yanks her forward against all her protests to where James is in hiding. Then he slows to a halt. 

"What is the meaning of this?" she asks. 

Keith rolls his eyes. "We don't want to hurt you, so come quietly. I can't let you go to that palace. Don't worry, we'll take good care of you." He takes her tiara and places it on his head. 

He sees a carriage with two horses pulling up in the distance. 

"Well got to go, looks like my rides here!"

James holds Katelyn to his chest, covering her mouth with one hand, as she trys to wiggle free, her yells being heavily muffled. They hide in the shadows, and Keith walks over to the boat, arriving just in time for the carriage. 

A man is sitting on one of the horses and smiles at Keith, "the names Lance. Are you Katelyn?"

He nods, and Lance helps Keith into the carriage. 

\------

Shiro is pacing back and forth in the throne room, muttering to himself, as the king watches him along with Matt. Matt had been given permission to enter the throne room this time. 

"You're making me nervous, boy. What is on your mind?" the king asks. 

Shiro comes to a halt right in front of the two, his face scrunched up in worry. 

"My betrothed is arriving today. What if I'm not her ideal husband? I want her to be happy" Shiro tells them honestly. 

Matt just laughs. "Your highness, you were nervous a few days for another reason, now this? You'll be fine."

Shiro gives a small smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "I've never even dated someone before. I'm worried she won't want anything to do with me."

"Give her time" King Ruthford says, "you have six months to get to know each other."

A knock sounds at the door. 

The king tells them to come in, and then Shiro sees Lance walk in with a beautiful lady in tow. 

Once they get closer, Shiro gets a better look at her. 

"Katelyn has arrived, your majesty" Lance kneels in front of the king. 

Katelyn has midnight black hair pulled into a ponytail, and the most gorgeous violet eyes he has ever seen in his life. She's wearing a frilly blue dress that reaches down to her ankles, and a light blush covers her cheeks. She's the most beautiful woman he has ever seen in his life, and he can't help the slight blush that creeps up on his cheeks and tint the tips of his ears red. 

"How are you doing, princess Katelyn? Have a safe trip?" the king asks. She nods. "Alright, Shiro, why don't you take your betrothed to her room? I'm sure she's exhausted from her trip."

"Yes, your majesty" Shiro gives a small bow of his head before turning his attention towards Katelyn, "alright, come on. I'll take you to your room." She gives him a nod, and Matt follows them out the door. 

 

Keith could almost laugh. This was too _easy_. Shiro was just way too gullible. 

"I'm Shiro, by the way" he tells him, "I'm sure you already know that though. This is my personal Knight, Matt."

The chestnut haired boy, dressed in full armor, gives him a nod. 

Keith can't help but to notice the princes attire. He's wearing a suit and a crown, but he is wearing all blue. Who dressed him? 

"I'm Katelyn" he says in the softest voice he can muster. 

Shiro turns towards him and gives Keith a bright smile. Keith notices the scar that is just on top of the bridge of his nose, and also notices that his right arm is a prosthetic. 

_I guess he is gorgeous for a guy I have to assassinate._

As he's thinking this, he trips over thin air and is falling. 

_Stupid heels-_

But he is caught into a pair of strong arms. He looks up into Shiros concerned expression. 

"Are you alright?" he asks. 

Keith nods, "I'm fine. I didn't ask you to help me." He looks away to hide the faint blush creeping on his face. 

_That was so embarrassing._

Shiro lets out a small laugh before they reach a room. 

"This is your room, princess" he smiles, "it's just around the corner from mine. I'm the first door on the left once you turn the corner. Come get me if you need anything, but for now I suppose you are exhausted from your trip so I will leave you to rest."

\------

Shiro woke up early and headed down to the kitchen. He didn't want to wake up Katelyn, plus James Griffin was assigned to be her personal butler. Shiro figured she'd head down when she was ready to wake up for the day. They didn't have much plans for the day since she had just arrived yesterday. 

Once at the kitchen, Shiro spotted Hunk. 

"Good morning, your highness!" Hunk gave Shiro a hearty wave. 

"Good morning" Shiro muttered, "may I have a cup of coffee, please?"

"Oh, right away, sir!" Hunk went over to the coffee maker and poured a cup. By now, he knew how Shiro liked his coffee in the morning. Hunk put in just the right amount of sugar and creamer and brought it back to Shiro. Smiling, he asks, "so how did the meeting with your betrothed go?"

Shiro ponders for a moment, "I'd like to think it went fairly well. I want to get to know her better."

Hunk laughs. "Good luck with that, your highness."

Then suddenly Lance appears by Shiros side. Leaning over the counter, he says, "would you like to get to know me better, too?" It was an honest question if he hadn't heard one, but the way Lance said it suggested otherwise. Lance was practically _purring_.

"Thanks for the cup of coffee" Shiro waves them off and heads into the dining room where Pidge and Matt were sitting. 

"When do I get to meet your betrothed?" Pidge asks with a pout. 

"At some point" he tells her, "she's really pretty. I think you'll like her."

Almost on cue, Katelyn walks in with James Griffin in toe. 

"Hi, Katelyn!" Shiro beckons her over and she walks up to him, "this is my tutor, Pidge. She's Matt's little sister."

"Who's Matt again?" Katelyn says bluntly. 

Matt feigns heartbreak, "you forgot me already? I'm hurt!"

Shiro laughs. "That's Matt. He's my personal knight and my childhood best friend."

"Well, we'll leave you to it!" Pidge says. 

Matt smiles, "I'll be right outside the door if you need me."

James leaves with them, and Shiro watches all three of them leave. Once they're out, Shiro turns his attention to Katelyn. 

"So, do you want some coffee?" Shiro asks. 

She shakes her head and simply says, "no."

 

Keith doesn't understand Shiro one bit. 

_What is up with this man?_

"Oh, okay" Shiro tells him. "Would you like something else to drink?"

Keith shakes his head. He doesn't feel guilty when a pained expression crosses Shiros features. 

_Did he fall for me already? This is way too easy._

"So, how did you sleep?" Shiro asks. 

"Okay" Keith says. 

_We're alone, too. This is the perfect chance to assassinate my father's murderer._

Keith reaches down for the knife at his thigh, hidden neatly under his ruffled purple dress, but stops when Shiro stands up, holding an empty coffee cup. 

"Well, shall I give you a tour of the castle then?" Shiro asks. 

Keith nods, retracting his hand from the knife. He'd have to do this later. 

\------

A few hours pass, and Katelyn told Shiro that she wanted a chance to explore on her own. Shiro nodded, and now he's sitting outside on a bench. Matt keeps him company. 

A distance away, the palace stands tall in front of them. The palace is full of shades of blue and teal. The windows have black paneling to them, and they contrast compared to the blues and teals of the palace walls. 

Matt faces Shiro with a frown upon his face. "Is there something wrong, your highness?"

"Matt, I told you, just call me Shiro when we aren't around people" he sighs, "and anyways, there's nothing wrong."

"That is a complete lie" Matt says, "and before you bother denying it, I've known you since we were kids. I can tell when something is upsetting you. Now, spill."

Shiro gives him a subtle nod. "Okay, you're right. Something is bothering me." He takes in a deep breath. "I don't think Katelyn likes me very much. How can I possibly be a good husband if I can't even make her happy?"

Matt lets out a startling laugh. "That's what's bothering you? Dude! You and Katelyn have only met yesterday. You can't possibly expect her to fall heads over heels in love with you after only a day, Shiro."

Shiro frowns at that. "Lots of girls fall for me after only a minute. Besides, Lance fell for Hunk the second he laid eyes on the chef."

Matt rolls his eyes. "Yeah, well, that's Lance. He doesn't typically fit standard expectations. I can only wonder if his feelings will be requitted."

Shiro nods, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I'm sure it will be. Lance is a master flirter, it seems. Or at the very least, he seems to be very good at flustering the poor chef. I mean, have you seen how red Hunks cheeks get whenever he's around Lance?"

Matt nods. "You should take lessons from Lance then, if he's so great. I'm sure he has the best tips in all of Balmera on how he could make Katelyn fall heads over heals in love with you."

Shiro snickers, "yeah, right. I think I'd rather take lessons from the stray cats that wander through this garden." As if on cue, one of the stray cats-a black, brown, and white long-furred Calico with deep, ocean blue eyes-wandered into the garden. "Hey, Marble! Come here, kitty."

She startles, fur bristling up, then relaxes when her eyes land on Shiro. They dart between the prince and knight a few times, pondering on whether she wanted to head over, before taking a few steps towards Shiros outstretched hand. 

Once she's close enough, she nuzzles it and gives it a few licks before he picks her up and places her in his lap. 

"Hey, Marble. I haven't seen you in a few days. How are you doing? You aren't getting into any fights, are you?" Shiro asks, scratching behind her ears. 

She lets out a rumbly meow, purring louder than a toy helicopter.

 

Keith looked both ways as he exited the palace to go into the garden. He had been able to shake Shiro off earlier, saying he'd like to explore on his own. It was true, he would like to, but he had some more important business to attend to. 

He looked around the garden. From a far distance away, he saw Shiro and Matt talking on an arched bench that had lots of lovely blue and purple roses twined around it. He walked in the other direction. 

He had just turned a corner when James grabbed his arms, dragging him off to the side. 

"I see he isn't dead yet" James said. 

Keith frowned. "I did try, but I can't let him on to me. Not yet. I have to strike when the moment is right or I can sign my own death sentence."

James nodded. "Well, from what I can see, you act quite distant when you're around him. You have to act closer. Get closer to him. That way when the time is right, it will make striking that much easier. He has to die."

Keith nods. "Yes, I know. I understand. I'll do better."

\------

The next morning has come, and Shiro finds himself back down towards the kitchen. He's standing in the dining room currently, debating whether he should wait for Katelyn, or go grab himself some coffee first. She hadn't wanted anything last time he asked, after all. 

It was a quiet morning, and the crickets were barely chirping. You only heard them if you were listening for it. When he had looked out the window, there was a dreary fog. 

He found he didn't have to wait long. He smiled as Katelyn entered the room. 

"Hey, Katelyn" Shiro greeted, "I'm going to get myself some coffee. Do you want some?"

Katelyn shook her head. 

Shiro's features drop. "No? Nothing?" She shakes her head again and he let's out a sigh. "Look, I know this isn't an ideal situation. I wasn't happy about the arranged marriage either. But I'm trying. I'm sorry if I'm not being a good fiancé to you."

"...ea" she says after a moment, and Shiro's eyes widen.

"Pardon?" he asks. 

"Tea" Katelyn says again after a moment, "I'd like some tea. Whatever kind you have. Add sugar."

Shiro's eyes lit up, "yes, of course! I'll be right with you! You can go wait in the dining room if you want."

Shiro walks into the kitchen and is greeted with the sight of Lance and Hunk. They appear to be in conversation, and Shiro can clearly see from where he was standing that Hunk is deeply blushing, and Lance has a smug expression on his face. 

"Oh, Shiro!" Hunks face lights up when he sees the prince, "err, uh, your highness, I mean-"

"Shiro is fine" he gives Hunk a smile, "I'd like my usual cup of coffee. And can I get a cup of tea, too, for the miss? Add sugar to it."

Hunk nods. "Yes, of course, right away!"

He immediately gets to work, and Shiro turns to Lance. 

"Hello, your highness" Lance says, "haven't you noticed just how gorgeous Hunk is?" Out of the corner of his eye, Shiro sees Hunk give a startled jump at the statement, but the chef says nothing. 

"I'm not attracted to men, Lance" Shiro tells him. 

Lance laughs. "You don't need to be attracted to men to admire their beauty, your highness."

Shiro rolls his eyes. "Yeah, sure, right. Sorry. I'll stick to Katelyn."

Lance leans in closer, his expression growing even more smug if possible, "she's quite the beauty, too, you know. Have you guys done it yet?"

Shiro's face reddens considerably. "Lance! We barely met! We're not nearly ready for that yet!"

Lance turns his attention to Hunk instead, "hey, cute stuff, may I get a cup of coffee as well?"

 

Keith was growing considerably bored as he waited for Shiro. God, what was taking him so long? But if anything, it gave him time to think about the best way to end the princes life. After all, he's the reason his father's dead. A life for a life. 

Shiro enters the dining room, holding a coffee in one hand and his tea in the other. Well, he assumed. He couldn't tell the contents apart from where he was sitting. 

Shiro sets his tea down in front of him. "Careful, Katelyn. It's hot."

He lets out a careful nod. "Kept me waiting long enough."

"Sorry" Shiro rubs the back of his head, "Lance had me stuck in a conversation. Once he starts, he never stops."

Keith looks at his cup a moment, considering that, and then nodding. "Alright."

Shiro smiles. "So, have you seen much of this town before?"

Keith shakes his head. "No."

Shiro pauses for a moment, thinking, before his smile grows wider, "how'd you like to go to Balmera State Park tomorrow?"

Keith finally takes a sip of his tea. It tastes very much like mango, with a hint of.... peach to it? He never thought the two flavors would go well together, but surprisingly, they make a good tea, and the sugar only serves to enhance the flavor. Hunk had put just the right amount of sugar in it, too. 

Keith faces Shiro, who's looking expectantly at him for an answer. So he nods. 

\------

Shiro rolled over on his side, the alarm giving a faint constant buzz. 

"Five more minutes..." he mumbled, the slightest amount of drool dribbling out of his mouth. He wiped it immediately, tapping the alarm to shut it up. 

A knock sounded on his door. 

"Your highness, may I come in?" It was Lance. 

Shiro, dressed in a galaxy themed robe with it's own matching hat, walked over to the door. He unlocked it, revealing Lance, who was wearing his usual navy blue butler attire. 

"Yes, Lance?" Shiro asked, rubbing at his eyes and letting out a yawn, "it's like six."

"Actually" Lance looked down at his watch, "it's seven thirty. I came to get you dressed to go to Balmera State Park. Or have you forgotten about your date, your highness?" Lance winked. "Aren't you excited to see how pretty your miss is going to look?"

"Do you butt yourself into everyone's love lives?" Shiro lets out another yawn, looking away with a little flush to his cheeks, "why don't you concern yourself with your own love life? You and Hunk aren't even dating yet."

"Oh, but Shiro!" Lance purrs, "we are so close! Do you see the way Hunks cheeks flush fifty brilliant shades darker when he's around me? He's totally falling for my charm."

Shiro scoffs. "Are you sure about that? Are you sure it's not because you're a total flirt and Hunk is naturally a shy person? Maybe he's just uncomfortable."

A smirk makes its way on Lance's features. "Oh, no, he's totally falling for my charm." And before Shiro could argue some more on that one, he says, "now, let's get you dressed nice for your date, your highness."

 

James slipped into Keith's room without much commotion. Keith was just studying his knife, looking up once his supposed butler had entered. 

"Oh, you should really lock the door" James says, "what if I were someone else? You're staring at your knife like it's your best friend, and you're not even looking like a princess. You're out of a dress, and you're not wearing your makeup."

Keith rolls his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to get you dressed for your date, obviously" James says, locking the door finally, "but really, you should keep your door locked."

Keith shrugs. "You're the only one who enters without my consent."

James heads over to the closet full of dresses and smirks, "I'm never going to get use to dressing you like this. Your mom would be so pleased. I hear she's always wanted a daughter."

He pulls out a sunset colored dress that goes from red at the shoulders, and gradually goes to orange at the bottom. And because that's not enough, it has birds flying all over, and some palm trees towards the bottom. It really is a pretty dress. 

"Here, you're wearing this" James says, "red really suits you. I think Shiro will agree on that. If he falls for you, then you'll have more opportunities to kill him. Maybe he'll even invite you to sleep with him. Killing him in his sleep might be your best option."

Keith strips out of his night gown and puts on the garment. The dress has a zipper on the back, and before he puts it on all of the way, he makes sure to stuff a bra and put that on first. It would kind of break the illusion if he had a flat chest, after all. 

Keith pauses at the zipper once he's gotten the straps over his shoulder, "can you help me zip this up?"

James pats towards the stool that's sat in front of a mirror. Keith obeys and James zips up the dress all of the way. 

"Alright, now I just need to do your makeup" he says. 

He gives Keith's face a quick wash before putting on a layer of foundation.  
Afterwards, he puts on some winged eyeliner and some sparkly orange and red eyeshadow that almost looked pearlescent, and added some red lipstick. He finished off with light pink blush. 

Keith was surprised. The makeup looked really pretty on him. 

James brushed Keith's hair and pulled it into a ponytail. Then James put a small straw hat on him. 

"Now, my master piece is complete!" James exclaims. 

In time, too, because a knock sounds on the door. 

James looks at the door and turns back to Keith, lowering his voice to a whisper, "remember, be careful. Your mother will kill me if you get hurt."

Keith nods, and they head to the door. He opens it to reveal Shiro and Matt. 

Shiro is wearing a white shirt with a small black lion in the right hand corner, a pair of brown khakis, and a plain leather jacket. Somehow he manages to make an outfit so simple look so good. Keith has to turn his attention to Matt to avoid the faint blush creeping up on his cheeks. 

He might be an assassin, but he can still find people attractive. He refuses to think anything of it, though. 

Matt, on the other hand, isn't dressed special in any way. He's just wearing his usual armour. 

"Are you ready to go?" Shiro asks, giving Keith a breathtaking smile that completely reaches his eyes. 

Keith gives a nod. 

"Well, I'll get going, then!" James waves them bye and heads out the door. 

 

Shiro was not expecting how pretty Katelyn would look this morning. He's always known how gorgeous she is, but this just wasn't fair. Red really was a good color on her, too. 

Now they were sitting side by side in a carriage on their way to Balmera State Park. 

Shiro wraps an arm around Katelyn's shoulders. She tenses for a moment before relaxing, leaning into his side. 

"Is this okay?" he asks. 

"It's fine" she mumbles, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"Oh, good" he let's out a relieved smile, "how is it in Altea? Do you get to go on fun adventures like this?"

"No" Keith says, "I'm usually confined to the castle. My father doesn't let me go anywhere."

"King Alfor?" Shiro asks, "he never seemed that strict to me. I wonder why he never let you go anywhere."

She lets out a small shrug. 

 

They arrived at the park. It looks beautiful, and Keith couldn't help but to admit that. 

There are bushes everywhere, and flowers litter the place. There is a stone pathway, leading to the redwood gate entrance into the park. From what Keith can see, the pathway doesn't end there. 

"Well, come on!" Shiro smiles widely, grabbing his hand, and leading him down to the entrance where the gatekeeper is waiting. 

"Oh, Shiro!" the lady smiles. She has golden eyes, and beautiful gray hair, but despite that, she doesn't look old. She is wearing your average tan rangers outfit with it's matching hat, but she doesn't look ugly in it at all. "What brings you here today?"

Shiro lets out a chuckle. "Hi, Shay. This is my soon-to-be wife. She's gorgeous, isn't she? I'm just showing her around Balmera, starting with our famous park."

Shay turns her attention to Keith. "My, what a gorgeous lady you are! I'm Shay, the park owner here. What's your name?"

"Katelyn" Keith mumbles. Shiro gives his hand a slight squeeze, and he looks up to see the prince giving him a reassuring smile. 

"Well, you two can pass" Shay smiles, "have a grand time, you two!"

"It was nice seeing you, Shay" Shiro tells her before leading Keith through the entrance. He looks back at Keith, "you will love this park. Shay really does a great job keeping this place up."

"Why is she in charge of permitting entrance when she owns the park?" Keith asks. 

Shiro leads them down the stone path, his smile not once letting up, "she loves what she does. She is always happy to greet the people who come through her park."

They stop when they reach a small pond, and Shiro leads them off the trail towards it. 

There are two koi fish in it. One is full of beautiful yellow and orange scales, and the other is full of green and blue scales. 

"My dad use to take me here when I was ten" Shiro smiles, kneeling in front of the pool, letting go of Keith's hand. 

Keith tries to ignore how his hand feels cold without the warmth of Shiro's hand. 

Shiro looks to the fish, "these two were just little fish then. Ten year old me had named them Yellow and Green because of their respective colors."

Keith kneels besides Shiro, "yeah? This park was open that long?"

Shiro nods, giving him a bright smile, "yeah! Shay's mom had run this place. Shay was happy to inherit this loved park. Our moms use to be childhood friends. My mom would always come with us and she'd chat up a storm with Shay's mother while my dad took me around the park."

"Use to?" Keith asks, "what happened to your mom now?"

Shiro turns his attention back to the pond, his eyes growing distant and his smile dropping, "she got cancer."

Keith dropped his gaze. "Oh. I didn't know."

Shiro gives him a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "no, it's okay. You didn't know."

"I want to see what else is in the park" Keith says, and Shiro nods. 

They continue walking around for quite a bit, talking more along the way, before sitting down in front of a beautiful waterfall. 

Shiro is laughing and his smile is back, and Keith can't help but to smile himself. It was surprising and he chalked it down to Shiro's smile being contagious. 

"You have a pretty smile" Shiro says. 

Keith looks away. "Oh, thanks." And then he looks towards the waterfall, "the waterfall is really pretty."

"Yeah" Shiro says, "it is."

Keith is at a loss as to what to say, and he almost forgot about the knife strapped to his thigh, hidden out of sight. Now would probably be the perfect time to kill Shiro, but he finds that he doesn't want to. Not yet. It wasn't a good opportunity. Anybody could walk by any second, despite that it wasn't a crowded day and they haven't ran into anyone since arriving. But it wasn't time yet. 

"We should go" Shiro says. 

"Yeah" Keith agrees. 

\------

It's been a week since their little adventure at Balmera State Park, and the thought still puts a smile on his face. Katelyn is barely starting to warm up to him. 

Shiro is currently leaning on the kitchen counter with a day dreaming smile on his face. 

"Whoa, what's wrong with him?" Lance asks Hunk, who's currently at work getting the coffee and tea ready. 

A fond smile crosses the chefs features, "it'd appear that his date with Katelyn has gone well. He's been dreaming about it all week."

"Ah" Lance smiles, "that does look like a smile of someone who's currently crushing hardcore on someone. Has he been coming down like this all week? Do you think he knows that he has a crush on Katelyn?"

Hunk laughs and shakes his head, "oh no, not at all."

"Where should I take her next?" Shiro sighs dreamily, not paying any attention to their conversation about him. 

Lance leans over the counter and smiles smugly at Hunk, "well, what about you Hunk? Would you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?"

Hunks eyes light up with a sparkle, a faint flush tinting his cheeks, "I thought you'd never ask, Lance. I was wondering how long you were just going to embarrass me with your flirting."

"But you look so cute!" Lance pouts, "so, is that a yes?"

Hunk rolls his eyes. "Of course that's a yes, you dummy."

Shiro finally snaps out of it, looking to Lance and Hunk, "I wonder if I should take Katelyn horseback riding."

Lance laughs, "dude, you certainly seem to want her to be happy."

A frown tugs at the princes features, "of course I do. It's my job as her fiancé."

Lance shakes his head, "do you have feelings for her then?"

Shiro stiffens. "Of course not. I just want her to fit in is all. Is the coffee and tea done?"

Hunk nods. "Yes, it is. Here you go." He places two cups in front of him. 

Shiro takes the two cups and heads to the dining room where Katelyn is waiting like usual. 

"Hey, Katelyn" he greets her, placing the cup of tea in front of her. Shiro takes his usual seat across from her and sips his own coffee. It's perfect like usual. 

"Hi" she says back, still being a bit reserved, but more open than when she first arrived. 

"How does horseback riding sound?" Shiro asks her. 

"It sounds... good" Katelyn lets a soft, hesitant smile tug at her features. She really is gorgeous. 

"You do know how to ride a horse, right?" the prince asks. 

A flush covers her cheeks, making her look away for a quick second, "yes, of course I do. I am a princess, you know."

Shiro laughs. "Right, of course. Well then, as soon as we finish, we'll head down to the stables."

It doesn't take them much longer to finish their drinks. Once finished, Shiro links their arms together and they walk down to the stables where two gorgeous horses sit side by side. There are more, but these are the two he plans on taking out. 

One is an Arabian horse with a grayish coat that Shiro explains is named Blue, and the other is a thoroughbred with a chestnut coat named Red. 

"What's up with the color names?" Katelyn asks him. 

Shiro laughs. "My little cousin named them a few years back. Their names kind of stuck."

"Are you sure you didn't name them?" Katelyn asks, "you named the koi fish Green and Yellow."

Shiro lets out an embarrassed chuckle, "Aw, you caught me. I'm bad at naming things."

Katelyn laughs. "You can't name my dog when we adopt him."

"We're getting a dog?" Shiro smiles, saddling up the horses. 

"Well, duh" Katelyn says, "a cat, too. You can't expect to not have animals in a palace this big. It'd get lonely real fast."

Shiro leads Red over to Katelyn, "yeah, alright. We'll get a dog and a cat. We'll get whatever animals you want. But I don't think I'd ever get lonely with you around."

Katelyn looks away, a blush forming on her cheeks. "No way. But in that case, we're getting a whole zoo. Be prepared for the amount of care they're going to need."

Shiro hops up on the horse. "Can you get up alright?" 

Katelyn nods furiously. "Of course!"

She tries to hop up, but fails miserably, a pout forming on her lips. 

Shiro hops off Blue and walks over. "Here, let me help."

Shiro helps Katelyn onto the horse, and she immediately nearly falls over. She leans down far forward instead. 

Shiro raises an eyebrow. "You said you knew how to ride a horse."

"I do!" Katelyn frowns before sighing, "okay, you caught me. I don't know how to ride a horse."

"You could have just said so, you know" Shiro tells her, "keep your back straight. Sit up tall. Make sure you're grabbing the reins."

 

It takes the better part of an hour for Keith to learn the basics. He wouldn't go starting a race or anything, but he can at least keep pace with Shiro now. 

"How do you feel?" Shiro asks. 

"Peachy" Keith says, "Red is a good horse. He's very patient."

"He can be stubborn, too" Shiro smiles, "he really loves his food. He's fast when he wants to be, but he won't go starting races if you don't want him to."

"I can see that" Keith nods. 

He doesn't know how long they've been riding for, but he sees a few apple trees in the distance. Red immediately takes them off trail and starts heading towards one. Shiro stops Blue and just watches from a distance, but not too far away.

"Looks like we are getting some apples" Keith says. 

Shiro laughs, "I told you. Red likes to eat."

Red stops in front of the tree, and Keith tries to reach the apples. It's just out of reach. 

Shiro looks on with amusement. "Need help?"

"No, I'm good" Keith says. 

He struggles on for about another ten minutes before Shiro leads Blue over to the apple tree. He grabs four apples, handing two over to Keith. 

Shiro hops off Blue and places one of the apples on the ground before sitting down. 

Keith follows suit, tossing Red an apple and taking a seat next to Shiro. He takes a bite out of his apple. 

"These are good apples" Keith muses.

"Yeah, they are" Shiro takes a bite out of his own apple. 

Keith leans in to Shiros shoulder, realizing it's starting to get colder. Or at least that's what he tells himself to justify leaning in for Shiros warmth. 

"Are you getting cold?" Shiro asks. 

Keith nods. "Yeah, a little bit."

Shiro takes off his jacket and wraps it around him. Afterwards, he wraps an arm around him and pulls him in closer. "That better?"

"Yeah" Keith says before looking to Shiros prosthetic arm, "what happened to your arm?"

"Oh, it's a long story" Shiro mumbles.

"I have all night" Keith says. 

\------

_Eight year old Shiro is in the throne room. His mom and dad are talking about something, and his mom smiles at him._

_"Hey, honey" she smiles at him, "what's going on?"_

_Shiro frowns. "Nothing, momma. What are you and father talking about?"_

_His mom let's out a laugh. "It's nothing to worry yourself about, Shiro, dear."_

_"Takashi, why don't you go play with Matt outside for a while?" his father says._

_"Alright, father" Shiro frowns. His mom is the only one who calls him Shiro, and he loves the affection that comes with the nickname._

_Shiro heads out of the palace. The guards were all busy. Matt had some sword fighting lessons today, so he knew he didn't have the time to play. He did see his father's right-hand man, Zach Kogane. His wife, Kroila stood by him with their six year old son, Keith._

_Shiro smiled at them in greeting, "hi Mr. and Mrs. Kogane! What are you guys doing out here?"_

_Kroila smiles. "We're just talking out here since we don't get to see each other often. Keith wanted to see his daddy."_

_Shiro nodded, frowning. "I don't get to see my father often, either. He's always really busy."_

_Zach kneels to his height, smiling, "it's really hard work trying to keep a kingdom happy. He loves you lots, you know. Why don't you and Keith go outside and play?"_

_Keith stands up with his toy lions and pouts, "I don't want to! I like it right here."_

_Keith ends up going outside with him anyways._

_Keith, pouting, says, "don't expect me to share my toy lions with you."_

_Shiro smiles widely, "no, it's okay. I can entertain myself. I'm Shiro!"_

_Keith frowns, "I'm Keith."_

_Shiro smiles, "my father has been working on something in the shed. I wonder what it is!"_

_They wander towards the shed. Shiro trots up to the door, but Keith stays a fair distance away._

_"What's the matter?" Shiro asks, "I've never been in the shed before!"_

_"I'll stay out here" Keith kneels, dragging a stick across the ground._

_Shiro tries not to feel disappointed at going in alone. He wished Matt was with him. He tries the door, surprised it's unlocked._

_He gives one last look at Keith, who looks lonely all by himself, and gives him a wave._

_It doesn't take long, though. Keith immediately follows Shiro in, not able to fight off the loneliness."_

_The shed is mostly empty, with a rusty bookshelf reaching just below a large window, it being placed right next to an equally rusty table._

_Shiro stands on the chair in front of the table, looking over a piece of paperwork, "oh what's this?"_

_"I don't know" Keith frowns._

_They don't have much time to ponder on that. There is rustling from outside, and then next thing they know, the whole shed is up in flames._

_Shiro immediately runs to the door, but it's locked from the outside as if something is in place, keeping them from being able to open the door._

_Shiro drags Keith over to the table, frowning, "this way! We have to use the window!"_

_Once they're both standing on the table, Shiro lifts Keith up so he can reach the top of the bookshelf to get to the window._

_"Once you're out the window, go straight to the palace" Shiro says, "and get help."_

_"What about you?" Keith frowns._

_"I'll follow suit" Shiro smiles, "don't worry about me."_

_Keith nods, finally lifting himself on top of the bookshelf. He pushes open the window and gives Shiro one last look before climbing out._

_Shiro can't reach the top of the bookshelf. He immediately hops off the table and goes to the front of the bookshelf, realizing that the fire is growing quickly._

_He starts to climb, using the shelves as leverage, and he was doing great. But once he reached the top, it started tilting back, going off balance, until it finally crashed on him. He was stuck underneath it, his whole body underneath the bookshelf except for his right arm. And then the lamp shook and fell from the heat, falling right on top of his arm, making him scream from the heat as it shattered._

_The smoke was filling the room rapidly, and he couldn't feel his arm, and he was starting to grow foggy. Is this how he dies? He doesn't know how long he was there for, but the shed was in complete flames._

_In the next second, the door gets slammed open, and Zach runs through, and immediately sees Shiro underneath the shelf._

_Zach uses all his power to lift the shelf off of the boy, and it takes a good few minutes and Zach tries to fight off the fog. He was getting sleepy._

_Once he freed the boy, Zach cradled him in his arms and exited the shed with the boy._

_Shiro ended up having to get his right arm removed as he was no longer able to use it, and Zach somehow developed a rare cancer that made him die two months later._

\------

It's been a bit over a month since Shiro and Katelyn had gone horseback riding. They've been hanging out a lot since, but they've only been hanging out in the garden. 

"What are you thinking about doing?" Matt asks Shiro. 

Shiro shrugs. "I'm thinking about taking Katelyn out on a picnic. I get the feeling that she'd like that."

Matt laughs. "Probably. Most girls are into that sort of thing."

"Yeah" Shiro smiles before knocking on Katelyn's door. She answers a few seconds later. "Hi, Katelyn! How'd you like to go on a picnic with me?"

Katelyn smiles, "I'd love to." She then slips under his arm, leaning into his side. 

"Alright, let's go then" Shiro tells her. In truth, he'd already set up. He just knew that Katelyn would say yes. Or at least he had hoped that she'd say yes. A man could hope, right? 

They head down to the stables, and Shiro saddles Red and Blue up. He helps Katelyn onto Red before he hops onto Blue. 

It's about a fifteen minute trot before they reach the picnic spot. 

Before them, there is a long red and white checkered blanket, as well as a basket full of food. 

Katelyn wrinkles her nose up in surprise, letting out a small laugh, "aren't you afraid of people stealing our food?"

Shiro shrugs. "No one wanders around here. It's just us." He hops off of Blue, and Katelyn gets off of Red and takes a seat next to Shiro. 

 

They begin eating, and Keith finds the potato salad absolutely delicious. 

"This is really good!" Keith says. 

"Hunk made it" Shiro smiles. Hunk had packed them several turkey sandwiches cut into triangles, potato salad, and a bunch of fruit. It was all super delicious. 

"He's a really good chef" Keith smiles.

It was getting dark, and they had finished all of the food. Shiro moved the basket off to the side and they lay back on the blanket, watching the sunset. 

Shiro pulls Keith in closer, and he rests his head on Shiros shoulder. Shiro links their hands together. 

"The sunset is pretty, isn't it, Katelyn?" Shiro asks. 

"It really is" Keith smiles. 

They continue to watch as the sunset grows dark and the stars come out. 

"Do you often go stargazing?" Shiro asks. 

Keith let's out a small frown. "No. I've never had the time. I've always been interested in going into space, though. Must be cool up there."

Shiro smiles, looking up at the stars. "It's been my childhood dream to go into space. Sometimes I just gotta wonder what's up there."

Keith nods. "Do you think aliens exist?"

Shiro frowns. "I don't know, but if there's life on earth, then why not? Maybe there's life on other planets as well."

"Yeah" Keith agrees, his eyelids growing droopy. 

"Are you getting tired?" Shiro asks. 

"Yeah, a little bit" Keith admits. 

"We should go back then" Shiro smiles, "before you get to tired to ride back on Red."

\------

Once they arrived back at the palace, Shiro had walked Katelyn to her room. After that, he headed over to the palace with Matt, where Pidge, Hunk, and Lance were having a heated conversation. 

"Hey guys" Shiro greets the trio, Matt standing off to the side with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. 

"Oh, what's up, your highness?" Lance smiles. Shiro and Matt sit down at the table. 

"So how did your date go?" Pidge asked, not looking up from her laptop. She sat on top of the table with her legs crossed and the computer in her lap. 

Shiro sighs dreamily, leaning forward on the table, "I think I might have a crush on Katelyn."

Pidge snorts, "and?"

Shiro laughs, "I definitely have a crush on her."

Lance rolls his eyes, "dude, tell us something we don't know."

Shiro blinks, confused. "Wait, you guys knew?"

Hunk shrugs. "You weren't exactly subtle. I'm pretty sure we knew you had a crush before you even knew you had a crush."

Shiro nods, "yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Aw, you made the poor highness sad, Hunk" Lance purrs, leaning close. Hunk turns towards Lance, smiling, and gives him a quick peck on the lips. 

"Wait, when did this happen?" Shiro asks. 

"If you hadn't been so stuck in your own love life, you'd realize they have been dating for over a month now" Pidge says. 

"Have I really been that oblivious?" Shiro asks. 

Matt nods. "You barely notice the world around you. You're so focused on Katelyn."

Hunk nods. "Lance literally asked me out right next to you. You were daydreaming about where you should take Katelyn next."

Lance wrinkles his nose, "yeah. You should get a man. They don't worry as much about date spots as women do."

Hunk turns towards him, "hey! Then why did we have a picnic by the waterfall the other day, huh?"

Lance laughs. "I'm just kidding, hun. Of course I love taking you on dates." He leans forward and gives Hunk a kiss on the cheek. 

"You two are rotting my teeth with how sweet you are" Shiro looks away in mock disgust but can't help the smile that forms on his face, "but no really, I'm happy for you guys. Congratulations on your relationship. I wish I could have congratulated you sooner."

 

Keith had just taken off his dress and washed off his makeup. It took him the whole day to realize he had forgotten to strap his knife to his thigh. 

Keith was about to climb into his bed, fresh in his pajamas, when James opened the door and slipped in. 

"Still forgetting to lock your door, huh?" James asked. 

"Like I said, everyone else usually knocks" Keith shrugs. 

James rolls his eyes. "I see you and Shiro are getting closer. How long do you think it's going to take before you can assassinate him? Your mom is growing worried."

Keith frowns. "There hasn't been an opportunity yet."

James frowns in return. "I think there has been plenty of opportunities. You're not falling for him, are you?"

Keith shakes his head, "no, of course not! Why would I fall for the person I'm assigned to kill? That's a recipe for heartbreak."

James nods. "Glad you understand. Your mother is getting worried about you, you know."

Keith shrugs. "Tell her that there's no reason to worry. I'm safe and he will be dead soon."

_Even if I don't want the prince to die._

"Alright. I will let you rest now."

\------

Two days later, Shiro finds himself wandering the palace grounds, looking for Katelyn. 

"I wonder where Katelyn is?" Shiro mutters to himself. For once, Matt isn't with him. He is currently talking to the king. Shiro thinks it'll be a great idea to take Katelyn out on a date, but she isn't in her room. So now he is on a hunt for her. 

A familiar meow sounds behind him. 

"Oh hi, Marble" he kneels down and gives her a nice pet, "have you seen my fiancé?"

Marble paws at him, meowing. He laughs, picking her up, and Marble settles against his chest with a meow. 

"You like to get picked up, don't you?" Shiro asks, smiling. 

He continues walking with the kitty, following an unusual path that he doesn't remember being there before. 

He stops behind some tall bushes with a small clearing in the middle. He can see a large pond, and then he sees Katelyn walking up to it. He's about to walk up and greet her when she starts to take off her dress. 

He immediately looks away with a blush. After a moment, he looks back over to her to see that she's not a girl at all. Katelyn has a flat chest, and his eyes don't dare wander further down in fear of what he might find. He immediately looks away, his face several shades red. 

"This isn't right" he whispers to himself. 

_I'm not gay. Yet I'm in love with a man? This isn't right!_

But he looks back towards her -er, him-and the attraction hasn't lessened at all. Even knowing that Katelyn is a man, he's still very much attracted to him. 

_So what happened to the real Katelyn then? I wonder what business this man has here, and why he's trying to get close to me._

He starts to walk away slowly, but accidentally steps on a branch. 

Immediately, Katelyn startles. "Who's there?"

Shiro puts Marble down, pushing her towards the clearing. 

 

Keith had just taken off his dress, getting ready to relax in the nice water, when the branch broke, startling him. He immediately reached for his knife. It was still strapped to his thigh. 

He lets out a sigh of relief as a kitty steps out into the clearing. 

"Oh, good" he muttered, "you scared me. I thought you were a guard or something. Or worse, Shiro. He can't find out about me yet."

Keith unstraps his knife, placing it on the side of the pond, and slips in. He holds out a hand for the calico, and she trots over hesitantly, sniffing his hand, before giving it a little lick. 

"You are a pretty kitty, aren't you?" Keith smiles at her, "are you a stray? I've seen you around the garden. What are you doing around here?"

She lets out a meow, sprawling out on the side of the pond. 

"Be careful of my knife" he tells her, moving it further away so it's not dangerously close to her. "I'd hate for you to get hurt."

After about an hour, he notices that his hands are starting to get wrinkly. The kitty is still laying down by the pond. 

"I should get going. It was nice meeting you" he gives her a pet and she wrinkles her nose up at the drops of water that got on her fur. 

Keith straps his knife to his thigh and begins getting dressed. 

\------

It's been a few days since Shiro has seen Katelyn-or whatever his name really is-and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't secretly avoiding him. 

The truth is, he is still coming to terms with the fact he has been attracted to a _man_ all this time. He's never considered it before. But then again, he's never fallen for anyone before this. But now that he knows that Katelyn is actually a man, he still can't help but to like him. 

Now, currently, he is laying in his bed with a frown on his face as he stares up at the ceiling. A knock takes him out of his thoughts. 

Shiro unlocks the door to reveal Katelyn. 

"Why are you avoiding me?" he asks. 

Shiro shakes his head, "I'm not avoiding you."

Katelyn looks down, "I haven't seen much of you these past days."

"I've been busy" Shiro shrugs. 

"Prove your not avoiding me" Katelyn says with determination, "go stargazing with me right now!"

Shiro laughs, "alright. Let's go stargazing then."

In truth, Shiro was already in his pajamas, but he didn't care about that. 

Grabbing Katelyn's hand, he leads him away from the room and up towards the palace roof. 

 

Once they arrive, Shiro heads to a toolbox. Keith watches as he pulls out a large blanket and a couple of pillows and lays them out. 

Keith lays down first, and then Shiro lays down next, a bit of a distance away. 

_Why is he avoiding me? Did I do something wrong?_

"Are you sure you're not avoiding me?" Keith asks him. 

Shiro gives him a slight smile, "no, I'm not. Come here."

Immediately, Keith scoots in closer, and Shiro wraps an arm around him, keeping him close. Keith rests his head on Shiros chest. 

"I'm glad. I don't like the thought of you avoiding me" Keith lowers his voice. 

"Are the stars this pretty in Altea?" Shiro asks. 

Keith pauses for a moment before smiling, "I would assume they're always pretty no matter where you are. I love looking at the stars."

Shiro nods. "Yes, that's right. I enjoy stargazing with you."

Keith gives him a little laugh. "That's right. I enjoy stargazing with you, too."

Now Shiro is looking at him, a fond smile crossing his features. "You're really beautiful, you know that? I'm really glad we met."

Keith looks away towards the sky, "yeah, me too."

_But I wish the circumstances were better._

Keith hears a rustling sound and turns to see James gesturing for him to follow. 

He looks at Shiro, "hey, I'll be right back, okay?"

Shiro nods, "okay."

Keith follows James and rounds the corner. When he looked back around the corner, Shiro was still stargazing. 

He sighs, turning back to James, "what is it?"

James shrugs. "Just wanted to check on you."

"Well you've checked on me" Keith says, "I should get back to stargazing."

"No, wait" James frowns, "we do have some important stuff to talk about."

"Like what?" Keith asks.

A few moments pass between them. And then James lowers his voice a few notches lower, "when are you going to assassinate the prince already?"

Keith frowns."It'll happen soon. It still isn't time yet."

 

Shiro had waited a minute before following Keith, but his heart nearly stopped at those words. 

_Katelyn is here to assassinate me?_

He felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. Maybe in another life he'd be able to live happily with the one he loves, but this isn't that life. 

"Your mom wants you to do it soon" a familiar voice says, "she's worried you've grown soft for the man that got your father killed."

"I haven't" Katelyn says. 

Shiro heads back to the blanket and decides to wait for him to get back.

Another five minutes pass before Katelyn returns.

"Sorry about that" he says, "I had to look for the bathroom."

"No, it's okay" Shiro gives Katelyn a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes, "I think we're done stargazing for now. It's getting late."

"Is everything okay?"

Shiro nods. "Everything is okay."

\------

Shiro had walked the assassin to his room before he headed to the library to clear his head for a bit.

He would be lying if he said he weren't the least bit surprised to see that Pidge was still there at this hour. 

"Hey" she says from her cross-legged position on top of the table, looking up from her laptop. 

"One of these days the librarian is going to get mad at you for sitting on the table" Shiro takes a seat across from her. 

"Yeah, maybe" she shrugs, getting a closer look at Shiro, "is everything okay?"

Was his heartbreak really that obvious? 

"Yeah, I'm fine" he says instead. 

"I know you" Pidge sighs, "you're definitely not okay."

Shiro shrugs. "Maybe not" he admits, "but I will be."

"Okay" she looks down to her laptop absentmindedly, "I'm always here to talk, you know?"

"Yeah, I know" he gives her a slight smile, "and I thank you for it."

She nods, satisfied. But then her expression changes. "Hey, I don't want to ruin your mood further, but..."

"What is it?" Shiro asks. 

She bites her lip, "I suspect that Katelyn might be an assassin."

He stiffens. "What makes you say that?"

She lowers her gaze, "I've seen her carrying a knife around. It's hidden under her dresses. She fell once, and she probably thought no one saw, but I saw the knife hidden under her dress."

Shiro stands up, "she is not an assassin. I've been teaching her how to fight because she had problems with assassins back in Altea. Please do not look into this further."

Taken aback, she looks up at Shiro, "I'm sorry, your highness. I didn't know."

He ignored the guilt eating at him for lying to Pidge, instead his expression softened, "thank you for your concern, but there's no need for it. I'm perfectly safe. I'm sorry, I feel exhausted. I think I'm going to retire for the night."

She nods. "Oh, alright."

It is a quiet walk back to his room, and once inside, he slides down against the door and mutters to himself, "god, Katelyn. You're here to assassinate me, but you couldn't even hide it from Pidge. How can I ensure your safety otherwise?"

And he knows he shouldn't be protecting him like this. But when he thinks about which one should live-him or Katelyn-he can't help but to choose the latter. Did his feelings really run that deep? 

Right now he is just a sitting duck, waiting for his time to run out. He could alert the king and have Katelyn executed, but he knew that wasn't an option. He'd rather die than get the one he loves killed. Even if the one he loves wants to see him dead. 

_Maybe in another life we could be lovers._

\------

A few days later, Shiro found himself dressed in a beautiful black tux, with his crown atop his head. 

He walked over to Katelyn's door, and knocked. 

The door opened, revealing Katelyn in a beautiful blue ball gown, a pretty tiara sitting atop his head. Even knowing this was a man, he still couldn't fight the blush from creeping on his cheeks and tinting his ears red. 

"You look really pretty tonight" Shiro smiles, "are you ready to head down to the ball?"

Katelyn nods, a blush forming on his face. "Yes, I'm ready."

They link their arms together, Katelyn leaning against his side, and they walk towards the throne room where the palace ball is being held. 

Once there, Shiro is always amazed at how much the throne room changes. There are lights strung up all over the room, a table with a punch bowl and lots of fancy food, and a dance floor full of people. Okay, so it looks like the average common folk party with the only difference being that everyone was in formal attire. 

They walked to where his father sat atop the throne. 

"Hi, your majesty" Shiro greets his father, and King Ruthford immediately turns his attention to his son with a bright smile on his face. 

"Ah, my boy!" he says, "it feels like I haven't seen much of you lately, have you and Katelyn been fairing well? My, she really is a beauty."

Shiro nods. "We've been fine, thank you."

King Ruthford nods. "Are you two happy to be in this arranged marriage? King Alfor has been worried about you, too, Katelyn."

"We're both happy" Katelyn tells him, "thank you, your majesty."

Shiro sees King Alfor heading towards his father, so he says, "well, we're going to go look around now. We'll catch up with you later."

Then, he drags Katelyn off towards the food table. 

"What was that about?" Katelyn asks. 

Shiro shakes his head. "I was just getting a little hungry."

* _ou can't even pay attention to King Alfor being here? And if King Alfor is here, then Allura must be somewhere here as well._

Shiro grabs a plate of shrimp and begins eating. 

Katelyn steals a shrimp off of his plate and smiles, "these shrimp taste really good."

Shiro nods. "They are. Hunk is the best chef in Balmera."

Katelyn nods, "yeah, I can see that. I am always happy to have his cooking."

Lance and Hunk waltz over, holding hands. 

"Hey!" Lance greets them, "how are you guys enjoying the ball?"

"It's great" Shiro says, turning his attention to Hunk, "and your food is amazing as always, Hunk."

"Aw, thanks" Hunk gives him a beaming smile, "how are you love birds? Pidge told me you were upset the other day, Shiro."

"You were upset?" Katelyn asks. 

"I'm fine" Shiro mutters. 

"I hope so" Katelyn mumbles. 

"So what brings you two over here?" Shiro asks. 

Lance laughs. "Well, we were dancing, but we saw you lonely people over here, so we decided to come and say hi."

Shiro nods.

Then Katelyn sees Allura heading this way and turns towards Shiro, "hey, I want some fresh air. I'll be right back, okay?"

Shiro understands immediately when he sees Allura. He smiles, "okay, I'll see you in a little bit, then."

He watches as Katelyn heads towards the balcony door that has been left open for the duration of this party. 

"The crowd too much for her?" Hunk asks. 

Shiro nods. "Yes, she doesn't like crowds very much."

Allura reaches them at last. "Shiro, it's been so long since I've last seen you!"

He smiles at her, "yes, it really has been long, hasn't it? How are you and your butler, Coran, doing?"

"Well. Coran came with. He's dancing with some ladies over there" She points towards the far left of the dance floor. 

Shiro nods. "I see."

Allura just smiles, "how is Katelyn doing? I haven't seen her since she left."

Shiro nods. "She's doing well."

Allura let's out a relieved sigh, "good. You know you're dead if you hurt her."

Shiro laughs, "I know."

Lance rolls his eyes, "god, you should see the two of them together. I don't think he has a bone in his body capable of hurting her."

Shiro agrees, "I really don't."

Allura's eyes sparkle, "that's good. I really didn't want to have to hurt you."

\------

Fifteen minutes has passed away with the four of them chatting, and Katelyn still hasn't returned. 

"I think I'm going to go get some fresh air" Shiro says, and they wave him goodbye. He walks on over to the balcony and sees Katelyn leaning over a balcony. 

"Oh, hi" Katelyn says, noticing Shiro. 

Shiro doesn't want this to go on any longer. He's tired of being a waiting duck. 

"Who are you?" Shiro asks.

Katelyn frowns, "I'm Katelyn, your fiancé, your-"

Shiro shakes his head, "no. I know your a male and that you are an assassin. Who are you?"

His face drops, and Shiro fights the pang of guilt. "Did Allura find out I'm not Katelyn?"

Shiro shakes his head again, "no."

He bites his lip, frowning, "then how?"

Shiro sighs, "I've known for a while. Who are you?"

Katelyn looks up at him, "my name is Keith. I'm son of Kroila, leader of the galra clan. My mission was to assassinate you. My father died while saving you years ago. His name was Zach Kogane."

Shiro's eyes widened momentarily, "that was your father? Oh, i'm so sorry."

Keith drops his gaze. "Are you going to report me now?"

Without a second thought, Shiro says, "no."

Keith frowns at that, "aren't you afraid I'll assassinate you?"

However, Shiro doesn't have time to answer because he's being stabbed from behind. 

Blood gushes out of his mouth, and he coughs but he doesn't pull his gaze away from Keith. 

"I'm sorry" he mouths, "for your father."

Another coughing fit wracks his body, and he falls down to his knees. His eyelids are growing droopy, and he can't fight to keep them open anymore. The stab wouldn't be enough to kill him, but it certainly was enough to render him useless. Finally, his eyes shut, and he's passed out on the balcony. 

 

Keith stares at Shiro in shock, and then lifts his gaze to meet James. 

"What was that?" Keith snaps, "I was the one assigned to assassinate him!"

"Yeah, about that" James shrugs, "your mom and I were both afraid you wouldn't follow through. She has ordered me to take him to her."

Keith can only stare in shock. He felt angry, too. 

"Well, I'll see you, then" James says, lifting Shiros body up. How strong is James, anyways? Shiro is like three times his size. "If you're smart, you'll meet us at the clan. King Ruthford will probably find out soon."

And then he hops off the railing. It wasn't a far drop at all. 

Keith immediately heads over to where King Ruthford is. King Alfor and Allura are chatting with them. Keith pays them no mind. 

"Oh, Katelyn" King Ruthford greets. 

King Alfor stares Keith down, "that is not my daughter. They're an imposter."

"We don't have time for this. Your son is in danger" Keith kneels before them, "I am Keith, son of Kroila Kogane, leader of the galra clan, and the disceased, Zach Kogane."

"Where is my son now?" King Ruthford demands. 

Keith doesn't lower his gaze. "He's been stabbed and he's headed towards the galra clan grounds. I just want his safety. Please, you got to believe me."

"Why should I?" the king says, "you disguised yourself as King Alfors oldest daughter. You probably intended to kill Shiro yourself. So why should I believe you? Why shouldn't I just execute you right now?"

"Because I know where the galra clan grounds are" Keith says, "I can't guarantee his safety by going myself, so I'm risking my life to alert you guys to go save him."

"Why does his safety matter to you that much? Why risk your life for him if you were going to assassinate him?" the king asks. 

Keith bites his lip, "because I fell in love with your son, your majesty. I don't care if you execute me after all of this, but please save him. He doesn't deserve any of this."

King Ruthford nods, "we'll do what we can. Please lead us to the clan."

King Alfor turns his attention to Keith, "but do tell me that my daughter is safe."

Keith nods. "She may be held as a prisoner, but I guarantee that she's being well taken care of. My mom wanted no one else to get hurt in this silly feud between the prince and her."

\------

_Keith fell upon exiting the shed._

_"Ow" he mumbles, eyes widening in fear as he watches the shed rise in flames, "will you really be okay, Shiro?"_

_Brushing off his dirt-stained knees that are sporting scrapes all over, he runs back towards the palace. He doesn't stop until he is in front of his mother and father._

_His father's eyes widened at the sight of him._

_"Keith!" Zach says, startled, "what happened to you? You are covered in dirt and cuts."_

_Keith shakes his head. "Shiro" he pants, "he's trapped in a shed."_

_"What do you mean, baby?" Kroila asks._

_Keith starts to tear up. "The shed! Shiros trapped!" he frowns, "hurry, it's on fire!"_

_"What?" Zach freezes up._

_Kroila frowns, "Zach, we can get help. There's people who can get him out."_

_Zach shakes his head. "There's no time!" He takes off running out of the palace, giving half-hearted apologies when he accidentally bumps into people._

_Kroila sighs. "I'm going to alert the palace. You'll be fine on your own, right?"_

_Keith nods. "Yes, momma."_

_Kroila smiles, "good boy."_

 

_Keith spent fifteen minutes crying alone in the palace. After no sign of his father or Shiro, he heads back out towards the shed._

_There's a bunch of people surrounding it. He makes his way to the front of the crowd, and there's no sign of his father or Shiro still. The flames haven't disappeared, either._

_After ten or so more minutes, his father is walking out of the shed, covered in smoke, and cradling a young boy passed out in his arms._

_"Father!" Keith calls from the crowd, "is he okay?"_

_Zach gives Keith a tired smile, before exhaustion overwhelms him and he passes out on the ground._

_Paramedics put Zach and Shiro both on a stretcher and haul them towards the palace, likely bringing them to see a palace doctor._

_Shiro ended up having to get his right arm removed, but Zach got a rare cancer and died two months later. It was the worst day of Keith's life._

\------

Shiro is exhausted beyond belief. He feels dried blood where he got stabbed, and he notices he is currently tied to a tree. This is a terrible predicament, but he finds that he is too exhausted to care. 

_I hope father hasn't decided to execute Keith._

"Oh, you're awake now, huh?" he turns his attention to see James, but he doesn't say anything. "I wouldn't have to even interfere if Keith would just do his job right."

Shiro stays silent, his eyelids drooping shut. James kicks him. 

"Don't go back to sleep" he demands, "I got so bored while you were asleep."

Shiro grunts. What does it matter to James if he sleeps more? He's a dead man, anyways. He doesn't know whether he should feel sad or happy that Keith isn't the one to kill him. 

"I can't kill you yet" James says, "besides, Kroila wants to talk to you first."

As if on cue, Kroila appears in view. "Oh, you're awake." She kneels in front of Shiro. "How did it feel to kill my husband?"

"I didn't kill him" Shiro is starting to nod off, "he saved my life."

Kroila frowns. "You set the shed on fire. He ran in to rescue you. He died because of that."

"I didn't set the fire" Shiro frowns, "someone else did."

Kroila pauses, "then who did?"

Shiro shakes his head. "I don't know. Your son was trapped in the shed with me when it happened."

Kroila frowns, "but he ran in the palace to tell us that the shed was on fire. How'd he escape?"

"I helped him escape" Shiro says, "I couldn't escape myself. I tried, but the bookshelf fell on me."

Kroila stays silent. 

Shiro lowers his gaze. "I'm truly sorry for your loss. I really did like Zach. If I could take his place, I would in a heartbeat."

Kroila frowns, "I know you were in an arranged marriage with Katelyn, but you got my son instead. How do you feel about him?"

"I wouldn't trade it for anything" Shiro says honestly, "I love him with all of my heart."

She nods, "you knew he was an assassin for a while, didn't you? Why didn't you report him? It could have easily been you or him. One of you would die. You knew, so you had the advantage to live if you reported him to the king."

Shiro nodded. "I could have, but I couldn't bring myself to. I knew he was going to assassinate me, but I wouldn't be the cause of why the one I love has to die. I couldn't do it."

She nods. A lady walks up to them. 

"Hey, Kroila? We're out of turkey lunch meat" she says before pausing to see Shiro, "prince Shiro?"

The lady has slightly tanned skin, and long ash blond hair. She was dressed in a black robe, and looks as if she just woke up. 

"Who are you?" Shiro asks. 

She shrugs. "I'm princess Katelyn."

 

Keith is riding Red, leading the king to the galra clan grounds. He could only hope that Shiro is still alive. 

It's about a forty minute ride on horseback, but he finally makes it. 

He immediately runs to where he'd be. There are loose ropes around a tree, and blood staining the ground, but no Shiro. 

_Am I too late?_

He goes over to where he knows his mom will be, and is shocked to see Shiro and Kroila having a conversation. Shiro isn't tied up, and his shoulder is loosely bandaged in gauze. He'd still need the hospital, and he definitely looked exhausted. 

"Oh, I was wondering how long it would take you to arrive, Keith" Kroila says with a small shrug, "how have you been?"

"Good" Keith mumbles before noticing princess Katelyn, "I'm sorry for kidnapping you like that, princess."

She shrugs. "It's all good. They've treated me well."

And then exhaustion finally overtakes Shiro, and Keith is rushing to catch him before he falls onto the ground. 

King Ruthford walks in at that moment. 

"He's not dead yet" the king says with relief. 

Kroila kneels in front of him, "I'm sorry about this, your majesty. I've just been so caught up in Zach's death that I didn't see the full picture. Prince Shiro is innocent. I'll accept whatever punishment you give me, but please leave Keith out of this. I asked him to do this."

King Ruthford sighs. "I'll let it go this time because Shiro isn't that badly injured and Zach did save his life in exchange for his own. But I won't be able to let it go next time."

"There won't be a next time" Kroila says. 

\------

When Shiro wakes up again, he is in the hospital room at the palace. His shoulder has been properly bandaged. 

Looking off to the side, he sees that Keith is asleep in a chair. He isn't cross dressing or anything, and Shiro can't help but to smile. 

_He's still beautiful._

Sleepily, Keith opens his eyes. They widen upon seeing Shiro, "you're awake!"

Shiro laughs. "Yes, I am. Why did you risk getting executed to save my life?"

Keith scoffs crossing his arms, "why didn't you report me when you knew I was sent to assassinate you?"

A fond smile crosses his features, "because I'm in love with you, Keith. I couldn't handle the thought of you dying."

Keith smiles as well, "I'm in love with you, too, you know. I could never bring myself to assassinate you."

"Come here" Shiro says, patting his bed. Keith sits right next to him, and Shiro wastes no time wrapping an arm around the slimmer boy, pulling him in closer. 

Keith practically melts into Shiros side. "How are you feeling?"

Shiro laughs. "I'm feeling quite well. Even better now that I know you love me."

Keith scoffs, "did you really think that I didn't?"

"Yup" Shiro says, "you're not an open book. And then when I found out that you were going to assassinate me, I lost all hope that you did."

"And you still didn't report me?" Keith asks. 

Shiro shakes his head, "like I said, the thought of you dying is ten times worse."

Keith frowns, "but what about the kingdom? Balmera would lose their future king and only heir to the throne."

Shiro shrugs, "but I couldn't risk losing you."

Keith sighs. "While I appreciate the thought, you should have put your kingdom first. They need you."

Shiro laughs, "you're really going to lecture me on this?"

"You better bet I am" Keith smiles, turning his head to face Shiro. 

Their noses are mere inches away from one another, and Shiro leans down and closes the distance. 

Their lips slot together perfectly, and it takes a moment before Keith relaxes into the kiss, both their lips curving up into a smile. 

They pull away, pressing their foreheads together. 

"I can get use to that" Keith says with a flush to his cheeks. 

"Me too" Shiro smiles brightly. 

"So," Keith says, smiling as well, "about that zoo you promised me?"

Shiro laughs, "I'll get you a whole kingdom full of animals if you asked me for it."


End file.
